Moovera Networks, a developer of fixed and mobile wireless communications systems, has announced that Swebus Express AB – the dominant long-distance express bus service in Sweden – has selected the Moovbox M Series Mobile Broadband Gateway to deliver Internet connectivity on its fleet of over eighty buses that serve over two million passengers each year.
The mobile Wi-Fi hotspot deployment, which is said to be the largest of its kind in Scandinavia, will include routes with stops throughout southern and central Sweden as well as neighboring Norway and Denmark. Swebus Express, a subsidiary of Concordia Bus Nordic AB, will also utilize the Moovbox to connect ticket machines on each bus to the Internet, and provide GPS-based fleet location monitoring.
"Increased competition in the public transport sector has led Swebus to examine ways in which we can differentiate ourselves from other operators," said Joakim Palmkvist, Managing Director of Swebus Express. "Providing Internet connectivity to our entire fleet introduces a technology platform on which we can build new and innovative services that not only benefit our passengers but also improve the way our fleet operates. We chose the Moovbox from Moovera primarily as it offered the widest range of features at the most cost-effective price point."
The Moovbox M Series delivers Internet access on the Swebus Express vehicles at speeds up to 7.2 Mbps by creating a bridge between the coach and a next-generation 3G HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) cellular broadband network from Hutchinson 3. In addition to providing public Wi-Fi hotspot access, the Moovbox offers Ethernet connectivity for in-bus systems such as CCTV and telematics data, and includes built-in GPS for real-time fleet tracking. The deployment was designed and managed by Network Expertise AB of Stockholm, Moovera's Channel Partner in Sweden.
"We're delighted to have been selected by Swebus Express for this landmark roll out of in-vehicle Internet," said Jim Baker, Moovera CEO and founder. "Such a major commitment to this technology from Sweden's largest player is clear evidence that public transport is the new major market for Wi-Fi hotspots and the ancillary services that in-bus Internet connectivity enables."